14 July 2012

Com tam Ninh-Kieu

VIETNAM

I have always found it a bit weird that the menus at Jerome Avenue Vietnamese restaurants in the Bronx have always had a higher price point than their counterparts in Chinatown or Sunset Park. It was true of World of Taste, when it was open, and is the same here. The only explanation could be a monopoly on the market, as the ingredients and portions seem about the same.

That being said, walking into a Vietnamese restaurant and actually hearing Vietnamese language is very refreshing in New York City, and quite rare.

I can hardly ever resist an order of goi cuon ($4.50, above), and this day was no exception. We were surprised to find an order of three instead of the usual two, even if they were a bit on the small side. The crisp freshness bursts into your mouth with every bite, and the peanut sauce is spot on.

The bun rieu ($7, below) is a super fishy soup that is not as spicy as it appears and comes loaded with big chunks of fish cake and thin vermicelli noodles. It is the type of dish that makes you feel healthier as you eat it.

It had been a long time since I had a banh mi ($5, below) in a restaurant, so I decided to follow my stomach and go for it. The bread here is a bit softer than usual, and the flavor not as full as some, but overall left me satisfied. The version below is the suon nuong (roast pork).

On previous visits I was more impressed with the soups I had ordered and will probably stick to those on future visits. Those dishes and the more Vietnamese atmosphere are good reasons to spend the time necessary to get up here, if you're not from the neighborhood.

2 comments:

I've made it a point to go here on a semi-regular basis, even just to grab a not very good Vietnamese coffee (too much condensed milk, too little volume) after grabbing herbs and chilies from the much more satisfying Cambodian market. I've tried to make a mission of finding something that makes me freak out hidden deep in the menu, but I've failed miserably. I really, really want to like the place--the people are so friendly and for Bronxites in the area it really is a boon--but I always feel like there is something missing. The best word, I feel, to describe the food is with a shrug.